How Does Your Garden Grow?

It is taking off after some rain and now some heat!

Hubby removed the grass from half of the garden edges, but we still need to finish the left side and put the rocks back in place. (photo above)

swiss chard - we also have red chard, but it is still very small.








zucchini

yellow squash

yellow squash

above is a rogue set of plants that grew from our compost. I thought it might be cantaloupe, but it could also be cucumber!

Kale!

Green bean seedlings that need to be placed in the garden very soon!

snow peas just coming up (by the fence, far left) herbs (sage, thyme, oregano, even dill) left corner of the photo. Zuchini on the right, tomatoes in the middle, peppers (bell and jalapeno) upper left corner.

We also need more mulch, maybe we'll get it this weekend. I already need to get after some weeds and nutgrass.


What are you growing?


Javamom

To a Child Born in April

Two of our four children were born in April, our married daughter and our youngest son, who is turning 16.

My husband, my mother, and sister, brother and my late Granny, and several nieces and nephews, also have April birthdays. We love April! This poem is for them (replace maid and lassie with 'Lad' for the boys ;-)


To a Child Born in April

by K.E.W.
Parents' Review magazine, 1893-94
vol. 4 pg. 361

Happy little April maid
Who in early childhood played,
In the father-tended glade,
All among the flowers!

Happy that thy mother's heart
Knows so well it's mother's part,
To be glad, for glad thou art
Babe of April joys.

Never mind the April showers
The will bring us lovely flowers;
God sends beauty, it is ours.
Wreathe thy happy brows!

Every little leaf and bud
Cowslip field and primrose wood
All for thee, to do thee good,
Skip then with the lambs!

Sing sweet April lassie sing
Thou art part of a joyous spring
Earth is thine, and Christ thy king
Praise him with the birds.

The ducks are baaaaccckkk!

I simply love it when the ducks return to our yard every spring!

Veggie Garden Prep 2011

Heirloom tomatoes and peppers

Herbs and squash

Our organic kale seedlings

The kale is looking good! We started these about two months ago.

spinach, chard, kale, others

All these seedlings are just about ready to go in here. Today, hubs is working in the last bit of enriching organic matter. We had a lot of good compost from our bin this year, but with our clay soil, we still needed more good soil and manure.

Thankful that spring is here, and thankful for a gorgeous weekend!

Javamom

Red-Bellied Woodpecker Couple

It's pretty uncommon to see our woodpecker couple near the bird feeders at the same time. In fact, this is only the second time I've ever observed them on the same branches at the same time. Their normal habit is to take turns throughout the day leaving the trees near our fence line to come up to the feeders.

I was very happy to get the opportunity to capture them together! The female (with the patch of grey on her head) is on the right.

What are the signs of spring in your neighborhood?

Happy Spring, Friends!

Javamom

New Book on my Wish List

Book 12 in the Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series comes out tomorrow, and I am pretty happy about that. I just purchased book 11 online about two weeks ago, because it is the only one that I have not been able to find used at Half Price Bookstore. It was hard to finish the final pages of book 10 and say goodbye to the ladies for who-knew-how-long at the time.

I began reading book 11, The Double Comfort Safari Club, just as soon as it came in. This series has been my choice of story before I fall asleep most nights these past few years. So knowing book 12 is coming out tomorrow helps me to "proceed" with book 11 at whatever pace each night allows, without feeling the need to make it last as long as possible, if you know what I mean.

I've recently gotten back on a kick of reading an author I hadn't read since the mid-nineties, the Anna Pigeon National Park ranger mysteries. Her novels are exciting, though sometimes pretty graphic murder-mysteries than are the stories Mma Ramotswe encounters in the mostly-calm pleasantries found in The Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series.

I'll write more about the Anna Pigeon novels another time (author Nevada Barr). For now, I don't want to spoil the simple joys and love for Africa and humankind that flows around and to the brim in the McCall Smith stories.

Time to go read!

Javamom

A Solid Hint of Spring

Sprouts are sprouting and buds are blossoming!

These are a mixture of spinach, romaine lettuce, and green and red swiss chard.

As soon as we get the garden tilled up just so, with all the good compost and nutrients added back in, we will transplant our 'cool weather' seedlings into the our backyard garden.

Are any of you getting your gardens started?

Javamom

I'm still here!

I think I just took the longest break from blogging ever since I started this thing! I do have good reason. We've been experiencing a different season and a different kind of busy in our lives for the last two months.

My mother was diagnosed with cancer just over the Christmas holiday, and it has been a whirlwind of emotions and travel, as you can imagine. It became official after her surgery in early January: Stage 2 ovarian cancer. I set up a Caring Bridge blog for friends and family to be able to recieve updates in their e-mail boxes, and I spent 12 days with Mom and Dad, during the blizzrds of winter 2011 in Oklahoma (more specifically the Tulsa area). I must say it was rather FUN, but also just a blessing to get to spend so much time with my folks.

My Mom, only sister, and I got to go wig shopping together, and would you believe we really enjoyed our time together. We may not like Mom's diagnosis, but we can enjoy our relationship and time together. THAT we certainly did.

I just received two new cookbooks (Mom ordered one for herself, but I wanted one or two to access here at the cottage) that were written just for people in cancer treatment and their caregivers. I am finding them to be amazingly helpful. I must thank my friend, Queen Shenaynay for texting me while I was in Tulsa with these recommendations. They have some terrific nutritional advice with wonderfully tasteful recipes, but also comforting ideas about sharing the joy of food and things tasting good with loved ones who may be lacking appetite.

The names of the cookbooks are:

One Bite at a Time and The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen, both by Rebecca Katz, and What To Eat During Cancer Treatment: 100 Great-Tasting, Family-Friendly​ Recipes to Help You Cope by Jeanne Besser.

The last one is grouped by treatment side-effect and the recipe(s) that help alleviate or that are edible during said side-effect(s).

I'll keep you all posted on our thoughts and experiences as we go along with Mom's progress, treatments, and such.

She is scheduled to have her second chemo in the morning, but that all depends on her platelet count. It was too low last week for treatment, so we are praying that this extra week has allowed her time for those counts to come back up after her first chemo last month.


Javamom

Acorn Squash and Potato Soup

The Dread-Pirate Sparsebeard came up with a wonderful, nutritious soup today, and I've been asked to share the recipe.

5 small potatoes (peeled and chopped)
1 litre of chicken stock (low-sodium, organic and grass-fed, if possible)
1 acorn squash (cooked and chopped)
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/4 of a large, sweet onion (or 1/2 small) minced
@ 1 tsp. dried basil, crumbled into pot
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. dried thyme (we used powdered, but you could use fresh or dried leaves)
4 cloves garlic (which we left out: hubby is allergic to it)
1 celery rib (we used the large, ribbed stalks from our red chard)
1/4 c. dry white wine (or cooking wine)
salt and white pepper to taste (we used sea salt and 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper)

You could saute' the onion in olive oil, but Hubby tossed everything in the pot together and cooked it till the squash and chopped potato were softened. Then he blended and smashed them with a potato masher.

Add a little more chicken broth if needed, to bring to your desired consistency. We like it a little thick and creamy, like a bisque.

I don't use milk or cheese, so this is a great vegan alternative, substituting the chicken broth with veggie broth, of course. Hubby likes to grate some cheese over the top of his serving.


Enjoy!

Javamom

CM friends Christmas Gathering

I'm finally able to sit and resize photos from before the Christmas holiday. I've been anxious to get these uploaded to add to my collection from previous years. I appreciate the ladies in my book club so much. We always have interesting discussions of Charlotte Mason's books, but we also are a group that is big on encouraging each other in Motherhood.


1/5 of our usual bookclub attendance ~ some years are just so busy for everyone, and some were recovering from illness or surgery. Some have children in city choirs and had their Christmas concert that night!


Here we took a breath and relaxed for a second pose.

This is the book mark that I made to give this year. I have always made them in warm colors in the past. This year, I had some blue book cloth leftover that was too small for a book repair. Viola...perfect size for a bookmark!

Lori, whose home we've been blessed to meet in for the last six months.

Deven

Krista, who chose the number (in our gift exchange) that corresponded with this lovely journal book and bookmark.

Kim W

and here I am, reading aloud, as I love to do!

This is the bookmark that I scored! It is laminated in hard plastic, which is very handy.

Don't you just love these? I think CM bookclubs should spring up all over the country, and members should make bookmarks with favorite Charlotte educational or parenting quotes!

That is your challenge, dear reader, for the New Year, should you choose to accept it! It is enriching, meeting these kindred spirits and new-to-lifelong learning moms. Even moreso than meeting them and sharing online. :-)

Lets just call it an added bonus, shall we?

Javamom